Throughout the entire movie "On the Waterfront," Terry is constantly plagued by the question of whether or not he should testify in court against the mob, or remain quiet. During the first part of the movie, Terry feels very strongly about not testifying. He feels that if he does, he would be a traitor, betraying his brother Charlie and others in the mob. He outright refuses to say anything to the police on multiple occasions. But as more people are killed by standing up to the mob, including Charlie, Terry's views begins to change. He starts to realize that testifying in court is not an act of treason, but a step that must be taken if he ever hoped to end the reign of terror the mob created on the waterfront. The rest of the workers on the waterfront thought he was a traitor too when he testified, but slowly they too begin to see him as an icon for change.
I think that Terry made the right choice in the end. Keeping silent about the mob was hurting lots of people. I think in the end the safety of the workers and the ability to speak freely was more important than the possibility of you being seen as a traitor. But I can't say for sure what I would have done in Terry's position. It was very dangerous to stand up to the mob, as we can see from Joey and Doogan. I guess in the end it all comes down to which is more important, your safety or the freedom of the waterfront workers.
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You note how as more people stand up to the mob, Terry's views begin to change. I think this goes to show how the actions of one person can have a domino effect. It shows us how cautious we should be about our actions, because they can result in something greater than what we anticipated- either good, or bad.
I also believe Terry made the right choice in the end to stand up to the mob. Even though the safety of the workers was at stake, it wasn't until Terry's brother was murdered that he went out of his way to stand up. People generally need a push in order to do what's right. Unfortunately, that push is usually the result of something well...unfortunate
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